Automatic player-piano.



M. ROTHFELD.

AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I6. 1915 1 ,206, 1 43 Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

2 SHEEYTSSHEET 1.

MX ROTf/FELD.

Witwzoou I jaw M. ROTHFELD.

AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. me.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

wvivh wow MAX BOTI-IFELID, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC PLAYER-PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Application filed June 16, 1916. Serial Ito. 103,915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MIA); Rornrnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at lPhiladelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Automatic Player-Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of improvements in automatic player pianos, and includes mechanism for keeping th tubes and passages clean.

One object of my invention is to so construct mechanism to which the tubular elements of automatic player pianos are attached that said tubular elements, together with the passages, will be cleaned by suction caused by the usual movements of members which are present on all forms of player pianos.

Another object is to so construct my invention that the movements of the elements necessary to re-roll the usual perforated sheet music will provide suction for cleaning said tubular elements and passages, and will also serve to collect the dirt within a common chamber from where it can be easily removed.

A further object is to provide a novel arrangement of tubes and passages which operate to efficiently eifect the production of sound and which also operate in conjunction with other tubes to effect the cleaning of all of the tubes and passages.

A still further object of my invention is to so construct the mechanism above described that it may be readily installed in player pianos now on the market with very little change in the structure of said pianos.

Another object of my invention is to so construct the above mentioned mechanism that it will be durable and may be quickly and cheaply installed.

These objects, and other advanta eous ends which will be described hereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of my invention shown in connection with a certain well known valve casing. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of certain of the elements of my invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line aa of Fig. 2. and Fig. l is asectional elevation taken on the line 6-?) of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a valve casing of a well known type including a valve 2, movable within a chamber 3, and a valve 4i extending through a chamber 5, This chamber 5 has a port 6 which communicates, when the valve 2 is moved into an upper position, with a passage 7 which communicates with the interior of a bellows 8, the latter having secured to it a rod 9 which when moved, will effect the production of sound through the ordinary hammer action (not shown). A small passage 10, commonly known as the bleeder or bleeder passage communicates with a passage 11 which in turn communicates with a chamber 12 the latter being separated from the chamber 5 by means of a flexible diaphragm 13. As before stated, these elements do not form a part of my invention, but are illustrated in connection therewith in order to render a clear understanding of the operation of my invention.

It will be understood that the bleeding passage 10, there being a number of these passages throughout the mechanism, is necessarily quite small and therefore often becomes closed with dust or dirt of any kind, and if this passage becomes closed, it prevents the proper operation of the valves above mentioned.

For convenience and operation, I will hereinafter term the chamber 5 as a suction chamber, since suction is formed in this chamber to operate the bellows S.

The usual cabinet 14 into which the roll of sheet music is inserted, has a tracker bar 15 provided with a series of holes 16, each hole 16 being respectively connected with tubes 17, there being one hole 16 for each note which the player piano is capable of reproducing.

lhe roll of sheet music is placed within end chucks 18 in th usual manner, and the paper from the roll extends over the tracker bar 15 and onto winding roll 19, the latter being rotated by pedals in the usual manner.

An elongated casing 20 is secured to the back 21 of the cabinet 14, and preferably has one side made of glass or other transparent material, and this casing has inserted within its bottom a bar 23 having vertical passages 24 extending entirely therethrough and communicating with the interior of the casing 20. There are as many of these vertical passages 24 as there are holes 16 in the tracker bar, and each of the passages 24 has a transversely extending passage 25 communicating therewith and ex tending to the side of the bar 23. The bar 23 is described in the appended claims as ered, serves to close the upper ends of all the vertical passages 24. The valve 28 is secured to the lower ends of rods 30, the latter being guided within brackets 31 and within the upper portion of the casing 20. Felt washers 32 are secured to the outer and inner surfaces of the upper portion of the cas ing 20 and act as means to prevent any leakage of air between the interior of the casing 20 and the outside thereof due to the sliding of the rods 30.

Springs 33 engage the upper portions of the outer washers 32, and the lower surfaces of collars 34, which are adjustably secured on the rods 30, so that these springs 33 serve to move the valve 28 upwardly.

The upper ends of the rods 30 are secured to movable portions 35 of bellows 36, the latter in the present instance being supported by the top of the cabinet 14. These bellows 36, there being preferably one bellows for each rod 30, are connected by means of a tube 37 to the suction chamber 5. Each vertical passage 24 has a tube 38 communicating therewith, said tubes being secured within the bar 23 and each having another tube 39 secured thereto which communicates with a respective passage 11 in the main valve casing 1.

One end of the casing 20 has a pipe 40 communicating therewith, said pipe being secured to a nipple 41 in a block 42, said block having a passage 43 which c0mmuni cates with the interior of a dirtcollecting cylinder 44. This cylinder is provided with a screen bottom 45, and rests upon brackets 46 which are secured to the main casing of the piano or any other suitable means, and an outlet or suction tube 47 connects with the cylinder 44 through the medium of the screen 45.

A plate 48 is mounted on the top of the block 42 and acts as a clamping medium between the latter and an upper bracket 49, the latter having an adjusting screw 50 therein which when turned, presses the plate 48 against the block 42 and in turn clamps the cylinder 44, tightly against the upper surface of the bracket 46.

The tube 47 extends to the main foot bellows (not shown), and serves at all times to produce a suction within the chamber 20 through the medium of the cylinder 44, block 42, and pipe 40.

During the normal operation of the player piano, as when it is playing, the suction within the chamber 5 causes the bellows 36 to collapse and hold the valve 28 in engagement with the upper surface of the bar 23, thereby cutting off communication between the passages 24 and the interior of the casing 20, the springs 33, being weaker than this suction within the tube 37, are compressed between the collars 34 and the upper washers 32.

During the playing of the piano, the roller 19 will be rotated to move the sheet music over the tracker bar 15, and as the perforations in the paper register with respective holes 16, air will be drawn through the holes 16 and tubes 39, and thereby effect the movement of the bellows 8 to reproduce the tone. It will be understood that during this operation, the air will pass through the tubes 17 hose 27, transverse passages 25, vertical passages 24, and tubes 38 and 39. After the selection has been played, the re-winding of the roll releases the suction within the chamber 5, and the springs 33 will then raise the valve 28 and throw the vertical passages 24 into communication with the interior of the casing. The suction within this casing, which is produced by the main pedal bellows, will then act to suck air through the tubes 39 and their connecting elements, and through the tubes 26, hose 27, tubes 17, and holes 16 of the tracker bar, and since the tubes 39 connect with the bleeding passages 10 and passages 11, any dirt therein will be drawn through the casing 20 and pipe 40 into the cylinder 44, screen 45 preventing the dirt from going through the suction tube 47 IVhile I have illustrated and described my invention in connection with a particular form of valve casing 1, it will be understood that my invention may be used in connection with any apparatus that produces a suction during the winding and re-winding of the sheet music.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various parts of my invention may be changed without departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar, a main valve casing, tubes connected to the tracker bar, tubes connected to the main valve casing, a union for said with said tubes and extending to an outer face of the union, means for forming suction adjacent said outer face of the union, and a valve for engagement with said face to cut off communication between said passages and the suction forming means, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar, a main valve casing, tubes connected to the tracker bar, tubes connected to the main valve casing, a union for said tubes, passages in the union communicating with said tubes and extending to an outer face of the union, a easing into which said face of the union extends, means for providing suction in said casing, a valve in said casing, and means for moving said valve into and out of engagement with said face of the union, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar, amain valve casing, tubes connected to the tracker bar, tubes connected to the main valve casing, a union for said tubes, passages in the union communicating with said tubes and extending to an outer face of the union, a easing into which said face of the union extends, means for providing suction in said casing, a valve in said casing, and means for moving said valve into and out of engagement with said face of the union, means connected to said latter casing for collecting dirt produced by the suction within the casing, substantially as described.

4. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar, a main valve casing, tubes connected to the tracker bar, tubes connected to the main valve casing, a union for said tubes, passages in the union communicating with said tubes and extending to an outer face of the union, a casing into which said face of the union extends, means for providing suction in said casing, a valve in said casing, bellows, means connecting a movable part of the bellows with the valve in said latter casing, means for normally holding said valve out of engagement with said face of the union, and means for creating suction within said bellows to move and hold the valve in engagement with said face of the union, substantially as described.

5. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar, a main valve casing, tubes connected to the tracker bar, tubes connected to the main valve casing, a union for said tubes, passages in the union communicating with said tubes and extending to an outer face of the union, a casing into which said face of the union extends, means for providing suction in said casing, a valve in said casing, bellows, means connecting a movable part of the bellows with the valve in said latter casing, spring means for normally holding said valve out of engagement with said face of the union, and means for creating suction within said bellows to move and hold the valve in engagement with said face of the union, substantially as described.

6. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar, a main valve casing, tubes connected to the tracker bar, tubes connected to the main valve casing, a union for said tubes, passages in the union communicating with said tubes and extending to an outer face of the union, a casing into which said face of the union extends, means for providing suction in said casing, a valve in said casing, rods slidable through said casing and secured to said valve, bellows having movable portions secured to said rods, springs operative on said rods to hold said valve out of engagement with the union, and means for creating a suction within said bellows to move and hold the valve in engagement with said face of the union, substantially as described.

7. The combination in a player piano, of

a tracker bar having holes therein, a union bar having holes extending therethrough and arranged in a row, a easing into which the union bar extends, tubes connecting said union bar passages, said bar having other passages communicating with said first passages, means communicating between said latter mentioned passages and the holes in the tracker bar, an elongated valve within the casing, means forming suction within said casing, and means for moving said valve into and out of engagement with said union. substantially as described.

8. The combination in a player piano, of a tracker bar having holes therein, a union bar having holes extending therethrough and arranged in a row, a casing into which the union bar extends, tubes connecting said union bar passages, said bar having other passages communicating with said first passages, means communicating between said latter mentioned passages and the holes in the tracker bar, an elongated valve within the casing, means forming suction within said casing, rods slidable through said casing and connected to said valve, bellows connected to said rods, means forming suction within said bellows to move said valve into contact with said union, and means for moving the valve out of engagement with said union when the suction in the bellows is released, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX ROTHFELD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. Porrs, H. P. HAnwooD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

